Cigarette making machine



Aug. 1, 1933.

w. E. MOLINS 1,920,709

CIGARETTE MAK ING MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 8, 1929 Patented Aug. 1, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC 7 1,920,709 CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE Walter Everett Molins, London, England 1 11 Claims.

The present application is a division of application Serial No. 405,799, filed November 8, 1929.

This invention relates to cigarette making machines of the continuous rod type wherein tobacco isfed from a hopper into a trough having a travelling band or web of cigarette paper arranged to move relatively thereto, and has for its object the provision of means for improving the consistency of the cigarette rod produced upon such machines running at high speed.

In cigarette making machines of the above type, the tobacco is normally showered into the trough of the machine in a long narrow shower, the length of which is parallel to the direction of movement of the web, the tobacco falling in a direction at right angles to the surface of the paper, and it will be understood that where the same meets a web of paper running at a high speed there is a tendency for variations to occur in the density ofthe rod, due to the falling tobacco suddenly assuming a movement at right angles to its previous movement.

The present invention consists of a cigarette making machine of the continuous rod type wherein the tobacco showered into the trough of the machine is given a movement in the direction of movement of the web, prior to the same engaging with the said band or web of cigarette paper.

The invention will be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a section of a tobacco hopper constructed according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of Fig. 1 showing the feeding rollers, and

Fig. 3 shows a modification. F

Referring to Fig. 1, the tobacco is placed in the hopper 1 and fed by aroller 2 to a combing roller 3 from which it is picked by a picker .4 after passing beneath the. brushing roller'5, and showered on to a distributing roller 6.

The carded tobacco is picked from the dis-- tributor 6 by a further pick-er roller 7 and,

showered on to a web of cigarette paper 112 ar-.

the falling tobacco receives .a

placed by a belt as is common on many types of machine.

In the modified form shown-in Fig. 4, the last picker roller 7 is placed at an angle with respect to the distributor 6 which is placed parallel with the travelling web. Consequently, the tobacco is given a slanting movement relatively to'the paper, and has obtained the desired movement in the direction of the moving web. The picker 7'is of a concave formation in orderthat it may mate with the distributor 6, or if desired, the picker pins may be longer at the extremities of the drum to producethe same effect.

What I claim is my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

'1. In apparatus for use in' a cigarette making machine, the combination with means for supporting a travelling web for movement in a predetermined path, of a distributing roller located above said web for discharging loose tobacco v thereon, said distributing roller havingits axis inclined with respect to the moving web to an extent sufiicient to impart appreciable movement to the discharging tobacco in the direction of movement of the travelling web.

2. In apparatus for use in a cigarette making machine, the combination with means for supporting a travelling web for movement in a predetermined path, of a distributing roller, and a picker roller associated therewith for discharging loose tobacco upon the moving web, said picker roller being inclined with respect to the moving web to an extent sufiicient to impart appreciable movement to the discharging tobacco in the direction of movement of the travelling web.

3. In apparatus for use in cigarette making machines, the combination with means for supporting a travelling web for movement in a predetermined path, of means for simultaneously discharging loose tobacco at a plurality of points distributed along a substantial portion of the length of the web, said means including an element supported for rotation above the web and about an axis lying in a vertical plane extending generally in the direction of movement of the web, the web and the axis of rotation of'saicl element being so relatively inclined as to diverge in the direction of movement of the web and .means for feeding'tobacco about said element along a substantial portion of. the axial length thereof, wherebythe tobacco discharged on said web will move in a direction having asubstantial component in the direction of movement of the web at the moment of impact with the latter.

9 4. In apparatus for use in cigarette making'machines, the combination with means for supporting a travelling web for movement in a predetermined path, of means for simultaneously dis.- charging lose tobacco at a plurality of points distributed along a substantial portion of the length of the web, said means including an element supported for rotation above the web and about an axis lying in a vertical plane extending generally in the direction of movement of the web, the web and the axis of rotation of said element being so relatively inclined as to diverge in the direction of movement of the web, and means moving with the peripheral portion of said element and extending along a substantial portion of the length thereof for carrying tobacco about the same, whereby the tobacco discharged on said web will move in a direction having a substantial component in the direction of movement of the web at the moment of impact with the latter.

-5. In apparatus for use in cigarette making machines, the combination with means for supporting a travelling web for movement in a predetermined path, of means for simultaneously discharging loose tobacco at a plurality of points distributed along a substantial portion of the length of the web, said means including a memher having a tobacco receiving surface supported for movement above said web and about an axis lying in a vertical plane extending generally in the direction of movement of the web, the said axis and the web being so relatively inclined that the tobacco receiving surface of said element diverges from said web in the direction of movement of the latter, whereby the tobacco discharges on said web will move in a direction having a substantial component in the direction of movement of the web at the moment of impact with the latter.

6. In apparatus for use in cigarette making machines, the combination with means for support ing a travelling web for movement in a predetermined path, of 'means for simultaneously discharging loose tobacco at a plurality of points distributed along a substantial portion of the length of the web, said means including a ber having a tobacco receiving surface, said memher being so supported that said surface moves above said web in a curved path tangentially, disposed with respect to a vertical plane extending generally. in the direction of movement of the web, the said surface and the said web being relatively inclined so as to diverge in the direction of movement of the web, whereby the tobacco discharged on said web will move in a direction having a substantial component in the direction of movement of the web at the moment of impact with the latter.

7. The combination with a cigarette machine feed chute of elongated form having an. open bottom and adapted to confine tobacco falling therethrough in a shower, of means extending longtudinally of said chute for discharging loose tobacco downwardly through the chute along a substantial portion of the length of the same so that the tobacco particles move through substantially linear in acommon direction, and means travelling under the bottom of said chute in a path inclined at an acute angle with respect to the direction of movement of the tobacco particles and with respect to the direction which therethrough in a shower, of means extending longitudinally of said chute for discharging loose tobacco downwardly through the chute along a substantial portion of the length of the same so that the tobacco particles move through substantially linear paths in a common direction, said means comprising a member having a tobacco receiving surface movable transversely of the length of said chute, and means travelling under the bottom of said chute in a path inclined at an acute angle with respect to the direction of movement of the tobacco particles and with respect to the direction in which said first named means'extends for intercepting the particles and forwarding the tobacco out of the range of action of the chute.

9. The combination with a cigarette machine feed chute of elongated form having an open bottom and adapted to confine tobacco falling therethrough in a shower, of means extending longitudinally of said chute for discharging loose tobacco downwardly through the chute along a substantial portion of. the length of the same'so that the tobacco particles move through substantially linear paths in a cornmon 'direction, said means comprising a conveyor provided with a tobacco receiving surface movable from points spaced laterally of the chute to points disposed directly over the chute for conveying the tobacco in asheet transversely of and into the chute, and means travelling under the bottom of said chute in a path inclined at an acute angle with respect to the direction of movement of the tobacco particles for intercepting the latter and forwarding the tobacco out of the range of action of the chute.

10. In apparatus for use in cigarette making machines, the combination with means for supporting a travelling web for movement ina predetermined path, of a feed chute of elongated form having an open bottom and adapted to confine tobacco falling therethrough in a shower, said web being disposed beneath the bottom of said chute and extending longitudinally of said chute for receiving tobacco from the latter, means for simultaneously discharging loose tobacco at a plurality of points distributed along a substantial portion of the length of the chute, said means including an element supported for rotation above the chute and about anaxis lying in a vertical plane extending generally longitudinally of the chute, the web and the axis of rotation of said element being so relatively inclined as to diverge in the-direction of movement of the web, and means for feeding tobacco about said element along a substantial portion of the axial length thereof, whereby the tobaccodischarged on said web will move in a direction having a substantial component in the direction of movement of the web at the moment of impact with the latter. 11. In apparatus for use in cigarette making machines, the combination with means for supporting a travelling web for movement in a predetermined path, of means 'for simultaneously discharging loose tobacco at a plurality of points distributed along a substantial portion of the length of the web, said means including a pair of rotating feed rollers having the surfaces thereof disposed incontiguous relation with their axes lying in substantially vertical. planes extending generally longitudinally of the web, the said axes being relatively inclined so as to discharge the tobacco in adirection having a component in the direction of movement of the web.

WALTER EVERETT MO LINS. 

